New coffeehouse hosts book festival featuring regional authors

This morning at the community market was like a triple feature! The farmer’s market had its weekly produce offerings and the new coffeehouse, Brewed Awakening, hosted a book festival across the street. Brewed Awakening opened this summer on Craghead Street in downtown Danville. They offer coffees, pastries, ice cream and serve lunch. (Check out their lunch menu!) We enjoyed a blueberry muffin as a snack so we’d have a happy tummy while enjoying the book fair.

A happy dinosaur greets you in the alley at the front of the restaurant. The dinosaur is covered in ice cream (???). I’m sure there’s a clever joke in there somewhere. I’ll offer my official name suggestions: Dinosplit? No? How about Bronto-sundaes? One more: Neolithic Neapolitan? (Update: It already has a name: Icereamasaurus)

So, back to the book fair, there was a lovely turnout of authors and visitors. We spoke to several friendly authors who described their works. Some of whom were in costume!

Angel Matthews (pictured at left), author of “Charlotte Confederate Cavalry Soldier” said her fiction story followed a young lady who fought in the war but helped free slaves through the underground railroad. She said her writing was great for youth and adults because it interweaves historical interest with life lessons. Michael Howlett (pictured at right) said that he could find humor in anything life threw his way. He is a retired newspaperman and is the author of “I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Culture” and “I Don’t Need No Scruples.” He currently lives in Hillsville, VA and you can follow him on Twitter: @MikeEHowlett.

Our two-year-old was most mesmerized by Melissa Rooney, who has written several children’s books. Our son even won a child’s T-shirt in a raffle she did. He was so excited to get the shirt with Eddie Electron on it, that he immediately stripped off the T-shirt he was wearing so he could wear his new character Tee.

Dr. Rooney patiently demonstrates how a circuit board works.

The fun didn’t end after we browsed the book fair because we’re card-carrying members of the Science Center. For some inexplicable reason, our son heard some construction noise in the distance and decided that he must have heard a bear. Okay, actually, this may have something to do with a particular bedtime story that references the need to eat a ripe strawberry before the big hungry bear gets to it first. But I digress. So he was fixated on “going to see the bear.” Today, we were in luck, because we could humor this request by easily walking over to the historic train station where the Science Center has natural history and animals on display. We went and saw the three bears. I’m not kidding, there was, in fact, a stuffed full-size polar bear, grizzly bear mount and a black bear. After the bears and trains, we toured the butterfly garden for the first time.

So in conclusion, this morning at The Crossing at the Dan included:
– farmer’s market with local, organic produce
– literary festival with children’s authors
– natural history and gorgeous butterflies

all before lunch.

And by lunchtime, our son was happy to sit and listen to his new book… for which he had already gotten the character t-shirt.

Written and submitted by Jessamyn Rubio.

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I don’t know how I missed this post in August, but I am glad that I saw it today. Thank u for posting the great photo of me and your son playing with snap circuits, as well as what I presume is your husband reading Eddie the Electron to his son. They warm my heart I hope your son’s appreciation for electricity and science, in general, is long-lived.